Impaling pin target



A ril 1., 1952 L. w. SCHOENHERR IMPALING PIN TARGET Filed Oct. 15, 1948 Patented Apr. 1, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE IMPAL'ING PIN TARGET Leonard W. Schoenhcrr, Ludington, Mich.

Application October 15, 1948, Serial No.\54,781

2 Claims.

This invention relates .to improvements in game apparatus.

The main objects of the-invention are:

First, to provide a game apparatus comprising a game board or panel and projectiles which may be played by both children and adults and aifords entertainment for both classes.

Second, to provide a game apparatus which is economical to produce and at the same time very durable in use.

Objects relating to details and economies of the invention will appear from the description to follow. The invention is pointed out in the claims.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a game apparatus embodying my invention two projectiles being illustrated in engagement with impaling pins.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view through one of the impaling pins and a projectile engaged thereon the pin being shown in full lines.

Fig. 3 is an elevational view of one of the projectiles with a fragment thereof broken away and in section to show the structure.

The embodiment of my apparatus illustrated comprises a board or panel I having an aperture 2 at the top edge thereof adapted to be engaged with a nail or the like. The game may be played, however, with the panel or board in a horizontal position on a table or on the floor or ground.

The panel is provided with a plurality of colored spots desirably arranged in a triangular form, as illustrated, there being nine spots in the field illustrated. The apexspot and the horizontal rows of spots are distinctively colored the bottom row 3 in the embodiment illustrated being lined to indicate blue, the second row 4 being lined to indicate yellow, the third row 5 being lined to indicate green and the apex or top spot 6 being lined to indicate red. Pointed pins 1 project from the surface of the board as centrally of the spots.

I provide a plurality of ball-like projectiles 8, three being illustrated and they are colored, as is conventionally indicated, to correspond to at least some of the spots. The projectiles illustrated are indicated as being colored blue, yellow and green. These projectiles are of cellular structure throughout, the cells being illustrated at 9 in Figs. 2 and 3, the cells being greatly exaggerated in size in Fig. 2 in order to enable illustrating them as being independent. The cells are desirably minute as is indicated in Fig. 3. By reference to Fig. 2 it will be noted that the 2 diameters of the cells 9 are relatively small as compared to the diameters of the ball 8, and that the length of the impaling pin 1 is relatively long as compared to the diameters of the cells. This facilitates the pin penetrating the wall of a plurality of aligned cells when the ball is projected onto the pin. The ball is thereby securely retained on the pin with little or no appreciable injury to the ball during long continued use.

The projectiles, are formed of synthetic material being very light in weight, the Weight being proportioned to approximate feather weight and the projectile structure being characterized by resembling solidified foam. The product known as Styrofoam may be used in the manufacture of the projectiles. The projectile bodies are covered by flock, indicated at l0, which is adhesively secured to the surface of the spherical body material and provides the soft, smooth feel and conceals the cellular structure.

The projectiles may be repeatedly impaled on a pin without injury thereto. They possess sufiicient resiliency or elasticity to substantially close up the openings made by the pins although some of the cell walls will be pierced. The cells are so minute that the condition illustrated in Fig. 2 is not entirely accurate owing to the cells being so much enlarged.

The balls may be thrown, tossed or pitched and the applicant contemplates different rules and different scoring for the different methods of propelling the projectile. For example, if a projectile is impaled on the pin of a spot color corresponding to the color of the projectile higher scoring or counts may be provided for in the rules and deductions or negative counts provided for where the projectile is impaled on a pin of a spot color diiferent from that of the ball. While the applicant recognizes that the rules are unimportant so far as this application is concerned these points are mentioned to bring out the importance of the color in the apparatus.

I have illustrated and described my game apparatus in an embodiment which is considered highly practical. I have not attempted to illustrate other embodiments and designs contemplated as it is believed that this disclosure Will enable those skilled in the art to embody or adapt my invention as may be desired.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. Game apparatus comprising, a panel provided with a field, impaling pins having relatively sharp pointed outer ends and projecting from said panel at spaced points on said field and triangularly arranged in rows of decreasing number of pins, color indicia around the base of said pins, said indicia being of difierent color for different rows of pins, and a plurality of sets of playing balls of relatively light cellular material adapted to be thrown against and piercingly impaled on said pins, said balls being of smaller diameter than the spacing of said pins on said field whereby a single ball cannot be piercingly impaled on more than one pin at a time, the individual balls of each set being colored differently to correspond to at least part of the color indicia at the bases of said rows of pins.

2. Game apparatus comprising, a panel provided with a field, impaling pins having relatively sharp pointed outer ends and projecting from said panel at spaced points on said field, color indicia around the base of said pins, said indicia being of different color for different pins, and a plurality of playing balls of relatively light cellular material adapted to be thrown against and piercingly impaled on said pins, said balls being of smaller diameter than the spacing of said pins on said field whereby a single ball can- 2 not be piercingly impaled on more than one pin at a time, the individual balls being colored differently to correspond to at least part of the color indicia at the bases of said pins.

LEONARD W. SCHOENHERR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the 10 file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS OTHER REFERENCES Breskin, Scientific American magazine article, Expanding Fields for Expanding Plastics, Sep- 5 tember 1947. 

